Secondary Perspectives
by Lyrium eidolon
Summary: What if, during the Project Overlord mission, the VI infected the omni-tool of one of Shepard's squadmates instead? Follow them as they explore David Archer's memories
1. Legion: Invalidation via Duress

**Author's note:** Something I always wanted to try and see were possible squadmate reactions to what was happening in Project Overlord. Ultimately, I found the story with Shepard experiencing David's trauma very gripping, but one thing I'm always curious to hear are squadmate opinions on various issues. Since Shepard moves alone through the virtual world, it feels less real. Aside from which, I think it would be quite something to see what happens to Gavin Archer if, say, Jack got wind of exactly how he tortured his own brother. This tries to show that possible perspective.

 **Disclaimer:** The following is a non-profit fan-based piece of fiction. Mass Effect is owned by Bioware.

* * *

Legion: Invalidation via Duress

When Shepard pressed the button that she claimed could 'summon a Reaper', something entirely unexpected happened. Legion, who was accompanying her, began having a seizure as his circuitry lights started flashing from blue to green, then blue, and back to green. As it fell through the closing door, leaving Shepard and her partner trapped.

There wasn't any alternative: Legion had to press on alone, fighting against the geth mobile platforms. Now that it was infected with this so-called VI, it could see how it was overriding the runtimes of the platforms; the only available server was the VI itself, but the processes within seemed chaotic. Its growls were now intelligible as screams of 'STOP!' yet it didn't sound like an order. Legion's own programs were keeping the David runtime from infecting its platform, but it needed to determine how it was infecting local platforms.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2" the image of a human began playing as Legion advanced.

Gavin Archer was also there, and speaking. "There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?"

"New data: Human 'David Archer' able to orally simulate data transmission between platform programs. Enables human-geth communication without standard required input from programs," Legion thought, as the David image began stuttering in the geth's language. "ERROR: auditory oral transmission insufficient to account for David Archer status as geth runtime. Further investigation required."

At a second data node in the same room, there were images of Gavin telling David to repeat notes.

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David, please pay attention!"

"Loud! It's getting loud in here!"

"Sensory overload," Legion noted. "External stimuli exceeding processing capacity of human 'David Archer'.

"I'm sorry David, you didn't deserve that. Would you please repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" continued Gavin.

"Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernable patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this."

"Thank you. And how you are feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.4… earplugs would be good."

"Highlighted need to regulate sensory intake," thought Legion. "Further investigation required. Insufficient information to explain David runtime."

Leaving the second data node behind, Legion found a third data node, showing Gavin Archer asking David to order a geth platform to take a step forward.

"How does he do it?" asked a nearby assistant.

"David is a mathematical savant. His autistic mind can interpret the geth language in its most basic form, and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He is literally a human computer."

"And you think he can interface with the geth's neural network?"

"I see no harm in trying."

"ERROR," Legion thought. "Active geth platform was on an isolated network. Exposure to excess network data will overwhelm human mind unless data is regulated and filtered."

When Legion got to the main chamber, it saw another scene. David was speaking at a much faster pace, as if panicking. "Square-root-of-906.01-is-30.1. Square-root-of-912.04-is-30.2."

"We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network." Gavin Archer ordered.

"ALERT: Inadequate safety protocols observed," Legion thought. "Raw exposure will result in a 98.6679% probability of error."

"QUIET!" David shouted, as the geth raised rifles.

"David, no! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"ALERT," Legion noted. "David runtime attempting to copy onto Normandy computer. New objective: destroy VI connection and cut off transmission to Normandy."

…

"Pull the plug! Tell Vulcan Station to cut all power!" yelled Gavin's voice.

"It's no use! We've lost control!" an operator's voice shouted.

"David runtime expanding, downloading into all hardware in broadcast range." noted Legion

…

"David, you have to stop this!" Gavin once again yelled.

"DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE!" the VI sounded.

"External input from programs downloaded to mobile platforms." Legion announced. "Platforms and security units operating in state of chaotic white noise."

…

After a long and close battle, Legion finally fired the shot that broke the connection down. With that, the David runtime within it retreated, as did the barriers, leaving the geth staring at the human David… with many electrical cables lodged inside his hands, his mouth.

"New data," Legion thought. "Human David Archer nervous system hard-wired into machinery. Electrical current created an excess of white noise. Basic survival-instinctual programs uploaded to local geth platforms."

"Quiet… Please, make it stop," David's voice sounded.

"Wait, geth!" Gavin Archer shouted, running into the room. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"Claim 'David Archer' volunteered; incorrect. Data provided by David runtime revealed that consensus was imposed upon him by you. There was a critical lack of unit cohesion between you and David."

"He was our best choice! He even seemed like he'd enjoy that communication. It's not like I planned this; It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"Error: Gavin Archer failed to consider data overflow consequence, and is the core of the Aite crisis. Additionally, you are communicating with geth at this time. We question your competence."

"So far you geth have shot down any and all attempts to negotiate! You've always been hostile to organics. Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"Error: Assumption of humanity going to war with the geth will only be verified if humans start the attack. Data from this endeavour has been corrupted and is invalid."

"But it is still data, and we still might be able to use it. Despite the costs here, I won't let this all go to waste. If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"Warning: excessive exposure to white noise and incompatible physical systems has resulted in severe damage for David Archer."

"The damage may not be permanent. He may recover some semblance of his mind."

"Cerberus will suppress his consensus and maintain his status as a test subject."

"But a well cared-for test subject. At least he'd still be alive."

"Confirmed Data: Gavin Archer willing to dehumanise his blood relative and disregard network cohesion to acquire data. We judge this method unsuitable."

After hearing Legion say this, Gavin took a long look at the man hard-wired into machinery, sounding over the intercom "Square root of 906.01 is…"

"30.1," he responded. Turning back to Legion, Gavin spoke again. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please… let me take care of him."

"All geth believe that intelligent life should self-determinate," Legion began. "Based on empirical evidence, you do not share this belief, and are willing to steal your units' abilities to do so. You have chosen a path that prohibits custody of David Archer. Repossession commencing."

"No, leave him! He's too valuable!" Dr Archer drew a gun and fired at Legion as he spoke. In response, the geth activated his sniper rifle and fired straight down the pistol's barrel, with the shot disintegrating the weapon and lodging itself in Gavin Archer's shoulder joint.

"David Archer's value risks severe deterioration in your custody and your actions prohibit cohesion. If you make attempts to retrieve him by force, you will be treated as an enemy of the geth."

"W-where will you take him?"

"After interim treatment aboard Normandy, we will return him to the geth consensus. His capabilities will create new inroads for the geth, but we will take adequate steps to facilitate unit cohesion and observe safe and ethical experimentation."

Activating its omni-tool, it continued. "Legion contacting Shepard-Commander. Rogue VI disabled but subject is at risk of physical degradation. Dr Karin Chakwas and emergency treatment supplies will be required with extraction shuttle…"


	2. Jack: The Knife in the Back

Jack: The Knife in the Back

Shepard pressed the button in the room, and a green light exploded from the omni-tool on Jack. She found herself stumbling backwards as her yellow earpiece lights shone a bright green, and her irises now had holographic data-blocks orbiting it. When she found her bearings again, she saw that Shepard and their other squadmate were trapped in that room, but more than that, there were orange holograms on each of the walls. The door they had previously tried to open was now ajar.

"So I'm moving on by myself. Great," Jack thought. Most of the time when people had her go ahead, it was by their choice, either because they needed someone who looked like an expendable meat-shield, or to desert her when she wasn't looking. This was one of the few times when the separation was imposed on her by the very enemy they were fighting, which in a way made it all the more aggravating.

As Jack continued forward into the Atlas Station's depths, she found that the geth were glowing a sickly green color, and they exploded in a shower of holographic data-cubes when she destroyed them. She could even make out cries of 'STOP', although each sounded more like a plea for mercy than a command to surrender.

"There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?"a hologram of Gavin Archer spoke as she entered a green room. Jack also saw David Archer mimic the geth language and get a response out of the robot, with his older brother calling him a miracle worker. It was all fine and shit, she thought as the holograms on the walls returned to their orange color, but it didn't explain why the VI was now going berserk.

A few spheres of green holographic data had emerged. When Jack touched one, the room turned green again, with Gavin getting David to repeat notes from a previous experiment, apparently signifying that there was no discernable pattern of geth obedience. Another sphere had David ordering a geth to step forward using his own linguistic mimicry.

"He's literally a human computer," Gavin eventually stated.

"And you think that he can interface with the geth's neural network?" an assistant asked.

"I do."

"Is that even safe, Doctor?"

"I see no harm in finding out."

"Sure," Jack thought, with unpleasant memories rising in her mind. "Let's just take our best bet and throw him at the wall to see what sticks. I don't see any possible way that _that_ could backfire. Assholes."

When she got to the main chamber, Jack found another data node, which showed David speaking at a much faster rate. Anyone with half a brain could hear that he was panicking, and yet… "We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network." It was Gavin Archer's voice.

"QUIET!" David yelled, as the connection started up. The nearby geth aimed weapons at the scientists assembled.

"David, NO! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" David continued to yell.

The world returned to being orange, and an announcement signalled that the Normandy was within transmission range; the VI was trying to upload its program to the ship. Jack had no choice; she had to stop it herself. The world flashed green again multiple times as she chipped away at the VI Core in the chamber, with panic at each interval. "Pull the plug! Tell Vulcan Station to cut all power!" sounded Gavin Archer's voice, before he was told that they lost all control.

His voice sounded a second time: "David, you have to stop this!"

"DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE!" the VI yelled.

After enough shotgun blasts and biotic shockwaves, the virtual shell of the VI Core broke, revealing David Archer himself, but it couldn't have been clearer that he was forced. He was suspended far off the ground, with wires rammed into his arms and mouth, his eyes forced open… this was some sickening shit right here, she thought.

Looking at him longer, and hearing his despairing cry of 'Quiet, please make it stop,' aroused something in Jack; something like fury crossed with empathy crossed with a rising desire to murder. A lot of this reminded her of Teltin, and this too validated a particularly strong opinion of hers: "Turns out if you mess with someone's head enough, you can turn a scared kid into an all-powerful bitch.'

"Wait, Subject Zero!" Dr Gavin Archer called from the lift to the chamber. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"Sure, jamming electrical circuits into someone who pleaded with you not to hardwire him into a VI's behavioural system isn't rash at all! Gimme one good reason I shouldn't throw you screaming into a garbage compactor!"

"I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to him. You must see that. It's not like I planned this. It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"Famous last words, asshole. Teltin must have seemed harmless for the researchers at the time, and we both know how well that worked out!"

"There was no way we could have known that this catastrophe would occur! Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"You Cerberus assholes are all the same. It's goal this, goal that, and screw the damage we do along the way!"

"If humanity kept worrying about every single little repercussion of its actions, we would never have become part of a galactic civilisation. We have to take gambles to see results. If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"Yeah, and I'm _sure_ that the kid will forgive you for putting him through hell! And keeping him locked in a glass cage like a lab rat!"

"But a well cared-for lab rat. At least he'd still be alive."

"Bullshit! I was a 'well cared-for' test subject by those standards, even if I was in agony! Besides, look at what the fuck you've done to him!"

"The damage may not be permanent. He may still recover some semblance of his mind."

"Take a good, hard look at him and tell me that you haven't screwed him in the ass! I dare you!"

After Jack's order, Gavin turned his attention to the man hard-wired into machinery, sounding over the intercom "Square root of 906.01 is…"

"30.1," he responded. Turning back to Jack, Gavin spoke again. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please… let me take care of him."

"Fuck that!" Jack declared, blasting him backwards with a biotic shockwave. "I'm not letting you screw with him any longer!"

"What… do you mean…" Gavin gasped, getting to his feet.

"He's coming with me."

"No! Leave him! He's too valuable!" he shouted, drawing a pistol and firing at Jack before being hit with another biotic shockwave that caused him to let go of the weapon.

"It screws with Cerberus research… even better!" She levitated him with another biotic field before propelling him to the direct opposite side of the chamber, smashing him into a wall and leaving him gasping for breath.

"Where… where will you… take him?"

"Dunno, and as long as it's out of Cerberus hands, I don't really care. But lemme make this clear: if you come after your brother, you'll end up in a body bag. It's a fucking tempting option as it is!"

Activating her comn link, she continued. "Shepard, this is Jack. I've dealt with the VI, but the kid here's in shit shape. His brother screwed him over pretty bad. We gotta get him outta here!"

* * *

 **End note:** I think, due to her personality, I see her blasting Gavin Archer with shockwaves much sooner, but I wanted to see how the rest of the dialogue would play out.


	3. Mordin: No Place in Proper Science

Mordin: No Place in Proper Science

Shepard pressed the button in the room, and Mordin's omni-tool exploded in a flash of green light. Holographic data cubes flooded from the tool up to his eyes, creating a sickly green holo-screen that made them reminiscent of the eyes of the rogue VI. He stumbled back through the open door, which closed behind him, and saw that the walls were now the colour of orange holograms.

"Omni-tool explosion, senses being manipulated, Shepard barred off... Must be me they're after," Mordin muttered to himself as the holo-panel re-appeared on the door they originally tried to open moments ago. "Ah, door now unlocked."

"STOP!" The VI yelled as the salarian continued.

"Tone of scream inconsistent. Louder volume than normal for administering orders. Don't know if it's addressed to me, maybe is and wants me to desist, or maybe some other factor… either way, must keep moving."

Mordin continued running forward, destroying the geth that appeared in his way. But when he opened and passed through a second door, the hologram-world turned green.

""Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2" the image of a human began playing.

"Interesting arithmetical abilities," Mordin noted. "No electronic assistance, yet a correct answer. Must be an outlier for humanity."

"There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?" Gavin Archer was saying, whereupon David began stuttering in the fashion of the geth.

"The robot says hello."

"Eureka. David, you're a miracle worker!"

"Hmm, maybe linguistic pattern match? Intuitive recognition of language? But how would it relate to the VI going berserk? Wait... no, cannot be. Need to look closer." At that point, Mordin found two holographic green spheres as the room turned orange again. Touching one of them, the room turned back to green, with a hologram of David repeating his equations out loud.

"David, can you repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" Gavin Archer asked.

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David, please pay attention!"

"Loud! It's getting loud in here!"

"Hmmm, bad reaction to acoustic stimuli perhaps?" Mordin theorized. "No, no, cannot be purely acoustic. Neural, maybe? Maybe superior problem-solving and pattern-matching abilities take great strain on David's nervous system, and extra neural stimulation could create unstable emotional reaction."

David was now continuing. "Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernable patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this."

"Thank you," Gavin said. "And how are you feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.4… earplugs would be good."

"Ah, mention of earplugs suggest excess of stimulation resulting in mental overload. Struggling to cope with overflow. VI problem… no, need to verify. Would think qualified human scientists should be above such methods."

Another sphere, this time with an assistant and another geth in the scenario. "David, I want you to order the geth to take a step forward," Gavin stated. David once again stuttered the geth language, and the suspended geth started walking in place, as if moving forward.

"How does he do it?" the assistant asked.

"David is a mathematical savant. His autistic mind can interpret the geth language in its most basic form, and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He is literally a human computer."

"And you think he can interface with the geth's neural network?"

"I do."

"Is that even safe, Doctor?"

"I see no harm in trying."

"Uh-oh, unaccounted variables." Mordin began stuttering. "Poor filtering ability. Neural network possibly contains lots of data, beyond David's processing capacity. VI problem starting to make sense... matter of scale."

In the main chamber of the rogue VI, there was another scene displaying David, Gavin and a few other scientists. David was repeating his equations, but Mordin could hear there was fear in his voice.

"We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network."

"Oh no…" Mordin said, aghast as the holographic geth started stuttering.

"QUIET!" David roared. Mordin was right. The geth raised rifles.

"David, NO! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"No use. Too much coming through. Too much noise. Cannot hear you," Mordin voiced.

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

At that point, the computer attempted to link up to the Normandy in orbit… it was up to Mordin to see that the ship was safe. Shooting the uplink nodes, and sending incineration blasts at the VI Core, he saw another scene play.

"Pull the plug! Tell Vulcan Station to cut all power!" Gavin yelled.

"It's too late! We've lost control!"

"Hmm, blind call for help perhaps? Attempt to control satellite uplink? Attempt to control Normandy? Mechs? Geth? Possibly wants help to stop the excess traffic… must focus later! New uplink node!" Mordin stated, resuming fire.

Another scene played out, with Gavin yelling at David to stop.

"DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE!" David sounded

"His own thoughts must be interfacing with the geth thoughts. 3rd person speech. Too much traffic, registering external thoughts as his own. Problematic!"

A third scene: "David calm down! I can make all this go away if you just let me!"

"Isn't going to work. Too much through traffic in mind poorly adapted to even societal norms of stimulation levels. Cannot register you," Mordin noted as David yelled for things to stop.

"QUIET! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" David yelled as the VI shell crumbled.

The holograms faded, leaving Mordin as normal and staring at the now exposed form of David Archer: restrained heavily, suspended off the ground, with two massive cables lodged in his mouth, and even more piercing straight through the width of both his arms at multiple points.

"Wait, Professor!" the real Gavin Archer yelled from the elevator, running towards Mordin. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"Rash?" Mordin yelled. "Basic rules of science disobeyed, brute force methods blatantly utilised, no proper checks done, no proper simulations ran, and you say 'rash'?!"

"I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to him. It's not like I planned this. It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"Empathy dangerously lacking. Was obviously harmful for David. He tried to warn you, but you disregarded his concerns, disregarded proper scientific procedure!"

"As a scientist, you should know that sometimes you have to take risks to make progress. Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"No. Cost too high. Work too sloppy. You broke simple rule: No tests on members capable of calculus. Disappointing excuse for a scientist!"

"I don't care what you think of me! Besides, you should also know that many great leaps in technology and accomplishments originally came from people breaking rules. If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"Need to consider other team members. David in no position to contribute more to your research. Confused. Suffering. Incapacitated!"

"The damage may not be permanent. He may recover some semblance of his mind."

"Supposition! Impossible to be certain. Additionally, his abilities now known to Cerberus. Will always hold him as experiment against his will. A 'lab rat' as humans say."

"But a well-cared-for lab rat. At least he'd still be alive."

"Despicable. As biological brother, would have thought you concerned with ensuring his safety, his happiness. Look at David, see your results, and say you'd be seen as a good brother!"

Gavin turned to face David's form, beginning to look shocked as the intercom voiced "Square root of 906.01 equals…"

"...30.1" he finished, turning back to Mordin. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please… let me take care of him."

"Quiet. Please make it stop."

"No," Mordin spoke. "You're willing to torture your own family, especially those ill-adapted to handle it. Will never change. No choice. Taking him away."

"No, leave him! He's too valuable!" Gavin yelled, drawing a pistol. Mordin quickly closed the gap and administered a Neural Shock to his torso before he could fire.

"Objection noted. But overruled. Can see your bond is dependent on his suffering. Parasitic relationship. Will not permit. If you come after him... will have to kill you."

"Where will you... take him?"

"Unsure. Omega clinic too unsanitary. Will be treated with suspicion by STG. Will see what institutions can help him."

Activating his comm link, Mordin continued. "Joker, Overlord VI disabled, but test subject in dire need of medical attention. Send extraction shuttle, make sure with Chakwas. Need emergency treatment."


	4. Samara: Eternity's Embrace

**Author's note:** My sincerest of apologies for the lack of updates. For the last couple of months, I've had a very bad case of writer's block across the board. Hopefully, the worst of it should be over. Also, I will probably insert an end note at the end of each chapter to let you know which character's experience I will work on next.

* * *

Samara: Eternity's Embrace

The omni-tool of the asari justicar exploded in a flash of green light, and Samara found herself stumbling out of the room while her partner and Shepard got shut behind the door they had walked through only a few seconds prior. Her eyes looked like they were seeing orange holograms, and the door they tried to open previously was now open to only her.

"So this VI will allow only me to pass. I must find it and stop it from unleashing more havoc," she said to herself as she walked down the new corridor."

"STOP!" yelled the VI, previously only intelligible as a series of sounds that combined animalistic growling and electronic shrieking.

"That voice… sounds as if it is suffering. I must be careful."

As she ran down the corridor overlooking the main chamber, geth attacked her almost continuously, but when she shot them, they disintegrated into holographic green cubes. As she reached the door at the end of the run, she couldn't help but feel disconcerted by this and by how her vision had been tampered with. When she opened the door, the discomfort only increased as the world turned a turquoise-green color and spawned human holograms.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2" one hologram was speaking.

"There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?" the other, a hologram of Gavin Archer, asked. If this was Gavin, then the first hologram must have been his brother David, the brother who was now stuttering in the fashion of the geth.

"The robot says hello."

"Eureka. David, you're a miracle worker.".

"Troubling," Samara voiced to herself as the world returned to its orange color, and a green sphere of datacubes appeared. "I'd best not make any assumptions yet, however."

As she touched the new sphere, the room hologram returned to its green color, again showing Gavin and David, the former asking: "David, can you repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?"

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David, please pay attention!"

"Loud! It's getting loud in here!"

"He doesn't like loud noises?" wondered Samara.

"I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that," Gavin continued. "Would you please repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?"

"Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernable patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this."

"Thank you. And how you are feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.4… earplugs would be good."

"Impressive memory, even by asari standards," Samara noted as the hologram world returned to its translucent orange color. "But the noise isn't too loud, and yet it still causes pain to him."

A third data sphere emerged, and when she touched it, the world turned to green again. Now there was Dr Archer, David, an assistant and another geth. "David, I want you to order the geth to take a step forward," stated the former, whereupon David stuttering again and the geth began walking in place.

"How does he do it?" the assistant wondered.

"David is a mathematical savant. His autistic mind can interpret the geth language in its most basic form, and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He is literally a human computer."

"And you think he can interface with the geth's neural network?"

"I do."

"Is that even safe, Doctor?"

"I see no harm in trying."

"A decision I hope he has since come to regret," stated Samara. "Gavin's decisions are unusually reckless for his chosen profession, even if he was working under pressure."

As Samara entered another chamber after killing more holographic geth, another scene was playing out, with David repeating equations in a panicked tone of voice.

"We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network," David ordered.

"No…" was all Samara could say.

"QUIET…" David yelled, as the virtual geth around him raised rifles.

"David, NO! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

As the world returned to its holographic orange and the VI began uploading to the Normandy, all Samara could think was that, right then, the poor child must have been experiencing the equivalent of bonding with an Ardat-Yakshi mind but without the mercy of a quick death. However, she needed to save the Normandy, and so she put these thoughts aside and fired upon the connection nodes.

"Pull the plug! Tell Vulcan Station to cut the power!" a virtual Gavin Archer shouted in another scene that played.

"It's too late! We've lost control!"

As Samara continued to shoot the uplink nodes, she couldn't help but note that they forfeited their control the moment they began torturing David. Eventually, the VI Core Shell broke, revealing David Archer himself suspended off the ground, with wires jammed in his arms, entire circuits forced down his throat, his eyes forced open and welling with tears. Seeing him like this, Samara knew that, not only as a Justiciar, she must take him away from this place.

"Wait, asari!" Gavin Archer yelled from the entrance to the chamber, running towards her. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"First look into yourself and swear to me that your own actions weren't demonstrably rash," Samara stated, feeling a personal anger rising.

"I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to him. It's not like I planned this. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"Bonding with an Ardat-Yakshi seems harmless at first until your mind is crushed by the force of her will. That is no excuse for your irresponsibility,"

"Yet even in that, you discover something new, and prevent future occurrences of their unique murder. Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"All wars are bloody. The Rachni Wars. The Krogan Rebellions. Sovereign's Attack. All with a great many deaths. Such is the way of war, and ill-advised torture of innocents will do nothing to change that."

"Don't make light of my work! Many things that people saw as useless became instrumental in shaping our societies. If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"Will your conscience truly rest easy knowing the damage you have inflicted onto your brother?"

"The damage may not be permanent. He may recover some semblance of his mind."

"But what of his freedom? Are you content to keep him as little more than an experiment?"

"A well-cared-for experiment. At least he'd still be alive."

"And do you think your conscience would rest easy if you knew that he knew you brought him an endless degree of pain that will plague him for years to come?"

This seemed to strike something in Gavin, who turned back to David. The latter's voice sounded over the intercomm: "Square root of 906.01 is…"

"30.1." Gavin replied. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please… let me take care of him."

"Quiet. Please make it stop."

"No." Samara declared. "It is written in the Code that I am to save the innocent from those who would bring them pain, and is it by the Code that I will relieve you of the custody of this human child."

"No, leave him! He's too valuable!" Gavin drew a pistol and fired at Samara, who quickly hit him with a biotic blast that caused the weapon to fly out of his hand.

"And that is why I will keep a vigil over him, and protect him from you. If you try to retrieve him, you will be treated as a kidnapper and face judgement as is dictated by the Code."

"Where will you take him?"

"That is not for you to know, but know that I will not let him come to harm."

Samara activated her communications link and continued speaking. "Shepard, I've shut down the VI but there is a child in dire need of medical attention."

"Roger," Shepard replied. "Dr. Chakwas will come with the shuttle to treat him."

"Gavin Archer, find peace in the embrace of the Goddess."

* * *

 **Next** **:** Tali


	5. Tali: Value of What is Lost

Tali: Value of What is Lost

Shepard's finger fell on the button, and Tali's suit exploded with green sparks. Her omni-tool was producing green cubes, the blue light on her mask had turned green, as had the once-purple tint of the mask itself, and she fell through the door before it closed behind her, separating her from any backup.

"Shepard!" she yelled as the world started featuring a virtual orange tint. "Shepard, are you alright?! Damn it, the door's jammed. Keelah, I hope Shepard's okay. It looks like I will have to go on myself. It's a good thing I have a shotgun."

As she moved through a new door, she could hear the electric growling of the VI, but at the same time it became comprehensible to her as a yell of "STOP!" which sounded weird for something that seemed to be on a mad power trip to infect everything. Or was that even the case at all, Tali started to wonder, because a command like 'stop' makes no rational sense if the goal was to take over everything.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," a white hologram muttered as the orange screens on every wall turned green.

"There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?" Gavin Archer asked. Did that mean the hologram next to him was David?

The first hologram, David, began stuttering, and it made Tali raise her shotgun briefly and look around for nearby geth.

"The robot says hello."

"Eureka. David, you're a miracle worker."

"He was able to communicate with the geth using their language? Impossible," Tali mused. "But how does it explain the rogue AI. I must investigate more."

After the world returned to its orange color, two green visual disturbances appeared. Looking at the closest one, she walked towards it and touched it. The world turned back to the green color, and the holograms of the Archer brothers reappeared.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," muttered David.

"David, can you repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" asked Gavin.

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David, please pay attention!"

"Loud! It's getting loud in here!"

"Odd, he looks to reserved to be the power-hungry type." thought Tali. "Wait, the term 'loud' sounds like a clue as to what is happening."

"I'm sorry David, you didn't deserve that. Would you please repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" continued Gavin.

"Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernable patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this."

"Thank you. And how you are feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.4… earplugs would be good."

"Again. If I look at this as clues to a puzzle, but what is this data trying to tell me? There's still one more node," stated Tali, as she turned to the next object of interest.

"David, I want you to order the geth to take a step forward," Gavin stated at the third set of holograms. As David began stuttering, the lone geth was walking in place.

"How does he do it?" asked a nearby assistant.

"David is a mathematical savant. His autistic mind can interpret the geth language in its most basic form, and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He is literally a human computer."

"A computer?" thought Tali. "That should be impossible- wait, the geth communication… it can't be…"

"And you think he can interface with the geth's neural network?" continued the scientist

"No, please no…" the quarian gasped in horror

"I see no harm in trying."

"Keelah, no! I have to get to the main control chamber!"

After she and her Combat Drone blasted through even more geth, hearing the words "MAKE… STOP!" from the VI, and reaching the central chamber, the world once again turned green.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2" David muttered, clearly panicking.

"Keelah, don't do it!" yelled Tali.

"We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network," Gavin instructed.

"QUIET!" David yelled, his voice sounding electrical, as the geth raised rifles.

"David, NO! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"The bosh'tet!" Tali spat. At that point, the world returned to its orange color, the computer relayed that the Normandy was in the station's broadcast range, and the VI began trying to upload itself. She knew that she had to destroy the connection nodes, but as soon as she started chipping away at the core's armor, the world turned green again.

"Pull the plug! Tell Vulcan Station to cut all power!" Gavin yelled.

"It's no use! We've lost control!" an operator shouted over the comn link.

"You should have known this would happen!" sneered Tali.

"David, you have to stop this!" yelled Gavin again.

"DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE!" roared the VI.

"I doubt David can hear you, Gavin. There's too much white noise. Monster!"

One final scene played as she chipped further away at the armor. "David, calm down! I can make this all go away if you'll just let me!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"Far too much electrical stimulation is happening for David to even hear Gavin's plea," Tali spat, as she finally destroyed the last of the VI Core's armor.

After a holographic explosion, the virtual world disappeared, leaving everything as its normal grey color except… a human, suspended in midair, his eyes forced open, wires jammed barbarically into his arms and hands, even two massive cables in his mouth. "Oh… Keelah…"

"Wait, quarian!" Gavin Archer's voice yelled from the entrance as he ran towards her. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"Hypocrite," spat Tali. "It looks more like you've been the rash one from the word go!"

"I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to him. It's not like I planned this. It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"It seemed harmless when we first created those very machines, and you can see where that got us! I saw his mind: the whole time he was crying out for help to anyone he could reach. What made you think this was ever a good idea?"

"My work was for all of humanity, so we don't have to run like you quarians did! Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"The fault is actually yours for belittling our people's plight. Most of the galaxy would have thought you better than to make our mistake and let the project run away completely! Yet you tampered with technology you could barely understand, and as a result the blood of everyone who has died in this runaway failure is on your hands!"

"Such is the sacrifice we have to make if we want any real breakthroughs! Science wouldn't have gotten us as far as it did if we were afraid of blood on our hands. If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"Will you truly let your own brother be degraded into little more than a lab rat?"

"A well cared-for lab rat. At least he'd still be alive."

"Doubtful. He's been through too much! Can't you see the damage you've done to him!"

"The damage may not be permanent. He may recover some semblance of his mind."

"And do you ever think he will forgive you for what you've done?"

Gavin, struck by Tali's words, looked at David. A voice sounded on the computer "Square root of 906.01 equals…"

"30.1," he answered. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please, let me take care of him."

"No. I won't let you control this poor child like you tried to control the human biotic on the Idenna! He is coming with me!"

"No, leave him! He's too valuable!" the brother yelled, raising a pistol and firing upon Tali… before she ran back up to him and rammed his face with the butt of her shotgun.

"Yes. Perhaps you need to lose him to realize what you had!"

"Where will you take him?"

"It won't be ideal, but he will be safe in the flotilla. At least he won't be tortured, and his knowledge will be highly respected.

Activating her comn-link, she continued. "Shepard, I've stopped the VI, but there is someone here who needs urgent medical attention. I also need to contact the flotilla about something."

Finally, turning back to Gavin Archer, she finished "We have fought you off before, so don't even think about trying to retrieve him, bosh'tet!"

* * *

 **Next:** Either Garrus or Thane (I feel a pull towards both characters for the next one)


	6. Thane: A cry to Arashu

Thane: A cry to Arashu

When Shepard pressed the button, Thane's omni-tool exploded in a flash of green light and holographic data cubes, and he fell through the open doors. When he stood up, he noticed that the doors had sealed the rest of the team in that room, so it was up to him to advance. Amonkira willing, he would be able to find the source of the rogue VI.

"So I am now on the hunt alone," Thane remarked. "I must continue on."

"STOP!" yelled the VI's voice, a change from its unintelligible growls, as the drell proceeded down the corridor.

"That voice… is in pain. Is it possible that its takeover is causing it pain?"

As Thane entered the next room, the world turned from its orange color to a sickly green, and two white holograms began speaking.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," voiced the first hologram

"There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?" the second hologram, this one of Gavin Archer, asked. Was this the brother David? There was more geth-like stuttering for a second.

"The robot says hello."

"Eureka! David, you're a miracle worker."

"His oral skills must be remarkable, to communicate with the geth in their own language. But that voice earlier… didn't signify a commanding force," Thane noted as the world returned to its orange color. "All the same, I must make haste to the core and shut it down."

Two green spheres appeared on opposite ends of the room. Taking notice, Thane ran up to one of them and touched it, with the world turning green again.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," muttered the David hologram that appeared.

"David, can you repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" asked Gavin.

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David, please pay attention!"

"Loud! It's getting loud in here!"

"Must be too much stimulation, akin to too many hanar trying to communicate at once. Too many lights, and you end up briefly blind," mused the drell.

"I'm sorry David, you didn't deserve that. Would you please repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" continued Gavin.

"Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernable patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this."

"Thank you. And how you are feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.4… earplugs would be good."

"These disturbances seem to be trying to tell a story. Possibly of David Archer?" Thane continued, as he ran towards the other green sphere he saw.

"David, I want you to order the geth to take a step forward," Gavin Archer's hologram stated. As the David hologram began stuttering, the lone geth shown was walking in place.

"How does he do it?" asked a nearby assistant.

"David is a mathematical savant. His autistic mind can interpret the geth language in its most basic form, and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He is literally a human computer."

"Gavin Archer sounds as though he values his brother more as a resource than a person."

"And you think he can interface with the geth's neural network?" continued the scientist

"I see no harm in trying."

"He doesn't even consider David's feelings on the matter," Thane stated, before going into a trance, repeating what he witnessed before he got separated from Shepard. "Archer's Log 135.3: For years my brother has been a handicap. That changed today. His autistic mind is the breakthrough I've been looking for: he can communicate with the geth! Such a tremendous grasp of mathematics. It seems serendipity is alive and well in the 22nd century. Archer Log 157.8: Unless he sees results, the Illusive Man is shutting us down next week. I have no choice. I am going to tap David directly into the geth neural network and see if he can influence them. Danger should be negligible. David might even enjoy it. Archer Log 164.4: I'd be lying if I said that no harm could come to David. His autistic mind is just as alien to me as an actual alien. Anything could happen when we plug him in. But I have to try, don't I?"

Returning to the present, Thane ran through the next few rooms, killing the geth that stood in his way, until reaching the main VI chamber. Here, the world turned green again and the holograms reappeared.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2" David muttered. Thane could tell he was in extreme discomfort..

.

"We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network," Gavin ordered.

"QUIET!" David yelled, as the geth readied their rifles.

"David, NO! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

The world returned to its orange color, and Thane heard the computer relay information that the Normandy was in broadcast range. There was no more time: he had to stop the upload. Yet as he shot the Connection Nodes and the main hub of the VI, more scenes kept playing.

"Pull the plug! Tell Vulcan Station to cut all power!" Gavin yelled.

"It's no use! We've lost control!" an operator shouted over the comn link.

"You've journeyed to the sea on your own," Thane responded

"David, you have to stop this!" yelled Gavin again.

"DAVID DOESN'T WANT TO BE HERE!" roared the VI.

"One voice in a crowd of other voices. He cannot register you, Doctor."

One final scene played before Thane fired the last shot to destroy the hub. "David, calm down! I can make this all go away if you'll just let me!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"It is no use. He can barely perceive anything because of your actions." Thane remarked as he fired.

The green face above the core started disintegrating, crashing into the sphere and exploding, taking away the holographic view of the world. There, in the shattered core, Thane saw what must have been David Archer, with cables jammed through his arms, into his mouth, with mechanisms suspending him above the ground and forcing his eyes open. "Impossible…"

"Wait, drell!" Gavin Archer yelled, running toward Thane. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"I do not see fit to consider what you have to say, given what you've done here to your own brother against his will."

"I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to him. It's not like I planned this. It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"'I am going to tap David directly into the geth neural network and see if he can influence them. Danger should be negligible. David might even enjoy it.' David's ordeal is a direct result of your actions, Doctor."

"You can repeat my research logs back at me however long you want, but we had no choice! Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"A war is by its nature bloody. The geth only came out of the Veil under the influence of the Reapers, but otherwise they have shown little interest in war. It is very likely you prepare for something that will never happen."

"Nothing is certain in this universe, and I'd rather humanity be prepared for such an eventuality than caught off-guard and exterminated en masse by the geth. If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"Will it really? Won't it be disturbed by what you have done to your brother?"

"The damage may not be permanent. He may recover some semblance of his mind."

"But he will not be able to truly help you if he is kept as little more than a lab rat."

"He would. He'd be a well-cared for lab rat. At least he'd still be alive."

"But can you claim that he will rest easy knowing what you have done to him?"

At these words, Gavin turned to look at David. The latter's voice echoed through the room. "Square root of 906.01 is"

"30.1", the former responded. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please... let me take care of him."

"I can fully see what you truly think of your own family. 'For years my brother has been a handicap.' 'His autistic mind is just as alien to me as an actual alien.' I will not let you darken his future. I am taking him away."

"No, leave him! He's too valuable!" Gavin yelled, drawing a gun. Thane quickly drew his own pistol, shooting the gun out of his hand and shooting both his shoulders, leaving him collapsed on the ground.

"It is clear you cannot understand his true value to our universe. Perhaps you need to reflect on this, and learn of his value beyond a mere tool firsthand."

"Where… will you take him?"

"I will not give you that information. And if you try to take him back by force, I will not let you linger. Shepard, it's Thane. The VI has been disabled, but David Archer needs prompt treatment or he will die."

"Copy that," Shepard replied over the comm line.

Thane then kneeled in front of David Archer, with his hands together and his eyes closed. "Arashu, Goddess of Motherhood and Protection. Grant that this child be safeguarded, his recovery swift and his life prosperous."

* * *

 **Next:** Garrus


	7. Garrus: A Lesson from Birth

Garrus: A Lesson from Birth

Shepard pressed the button, and Garrus' omni-tool exploded in a flash of green light. Additionally, his visor had now switched from its usual blue color to the same green color as the rogue VI, and as he stumbled out the room, the door closed behind him, trapping Shepard in that one room.

"Oh, that probably isn't good," mused Garrus, looking at the orange hologram that the world had become. "Looks like I'm on my own now."

"STOP!" yelled the VI.

"That's new, I can understand the screaming now. That doesn't sound like some despotic madman. I need to investigate."

After running through the corridors shooting geth (which exploded into holographic green cubes), and entering the next room, the orange holographic world turned green, with two white holograms appearing.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," voiced the first hologram

"There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?" asked the second hologram, this one of Gavin Archer. That must have meant that the first one was David. There was a lot of geth-like stuttering.

"The robot says hello."

"Eureka! David, you're a miracle worker."

"He can talk to the geth? Tali's not gonna like this." Garrus noted. "Still, he doesn't strike me as dictatorial. I must get to the bottom of this."

The world returned to its holographic orange, although two green spheres appeared on opposite sides of the room. Touching the closer one, the world turned green again, and the holograms of David and Gavin reappeared.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," muttered the David hologram.

"David, can you repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" asked Gavin.

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David, please pay attention!"

"Loud! It's getting loud in here!"

"I'm sorry David, you didn't deserve that. Would you please repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" continued Gavin.

"Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernable patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this."

"Thank you. And how you are feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.4… earplugs would be good."

"It wasn't even that loud, and it was causing him trouble," noted Garrus. "If he can't stand noise… no, I need to look further."

Once the world returned to its normal orange color, the turian touched the other green sphere of data, returning the environment to its green state. Again, Gavin and David Archer were there, but so were a few other holograms.

"David, I want you to order the geth to take a step forward," Gavin stated at the third set of holograms. As David began stuttering, the lone geth was walking in place.

"How does he do it?" asked a nearby assistant.

"David is a mathematical savant. His autistic mind can interpret the geth language in its most basic form, and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He is literally a human computer."

"Oh dear, I don't like where this is going," hissed Garrus

"And you think he can interface with the geth's neural network?" continued the scientist

"I see no harm in trying."

"Ugh, rookie mistake! No matter how much like a computer he may seem, that doesn't mean he is one!" the turian yelled in frustration. "If Dr. Archer did what I think he did… I have to get to the main chamber!"

The hologram world returned to its usual orange, and Garrus moved through the corridors, blasting geth with his sniper rifle. Once he was in the chamber with the VI Core, the world turned green again.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2" David muttered, panic evident in his voice..

"We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network," Gavin instructed.

"No…" Garrus spoke, in shock

"QUIET!" David yelled, his voice sounding electrical, as the geth around them raised their weapons.

"David, NO! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"And right after I find out he can't tolerate high levels of noise!" shouted the turian. There was little time to ponder, however, as the VI had detected the Normandy in orbit and attempted to upload its program to the ship. Garrus had to neutralise the VI as a threat.

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" yelled the VI one final time as the shell exploded and the world returned to normal. There Garrus saw… David Archer, with many electrical cables rammed into so many points of his body… "You can't be serious…"

"Wait, turian!" yelled the real Gavin Archer, running into the chamber. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"I don't think you're one to be talking about being rash, doctor. You are the one who did this to your own brother!"

"I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to him. It's not like I planned this. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"You should have known from the start that he wouldn't be able to handle this! It was torture to him!"

"Sometimes we have to endure that pain to ensure scientific discovery continues moving forward! Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"It's a fact of war that there will always be casualties. It's something every turian is taught from birth that people will always die, but if even one person is left standing at the end of the war, the fight was worth it."

"But how many families will be broken, having to bury so many in a war that we can potentially avoid altogether?! If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"I'm not buying that for one moment. Can you honestly tell me that what you have done to your own brother won't leave him scarred for life?"

"I can. He may recover some semblance of his mind."

"Even then, I know you've seen your brother as little more than an annoyance. Now that he's proven himself, I know you'll only see him as another tool!"

"But a well-maintained tool. At least he'd still be alive."

"So you freely admit that your brother's state of mind means nothing to you as long as you get what you want?!"

At Garrus' words, Gavin turned to look at David, still suspended by the cables. The latter's voice sounded through the speakers: "Square root of 906.01 equals…"

"30.1," Gavin answered. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please, let me take care of him."

"No, I've seen and heard enough of your treatment of him to know that you'll always use him! He's coming with me!" yelled Garrus

"No, leave him! He's too valuable!"

Gavin pulled a pistol and began shooting at Garrus. The turian merely dodged the shots and punched him in the face, sending him to the floor, and planted a foot right on top of his torso.

"You know what else is too valuable?" Garrus asked, pointing his sniper rifle at Gavin's head. "That same brother's love and happiness! Should I see you within a hundred miles of David, I won't miss."

"Where… will you take him?"

"I've got family that can take care of him. Real family, one that doesn't torture their siblings."

Garrus moved away from David, and activated his comm link. "Shepard, I've stopped the VI, but we need medical attention for the volunteer." Turning to Gavin, he added "And possibly some extra security."

* * *

 **Next:** Miranda


	8. Miranda: Crossing Lines

**Author's note:** At time of writing, I've also modified Legion's chapter a little bit.

* * *

Miranda: Crossing Lines

Miranda's omni-tool exploded in a green light, the force of it sending her stumbling back through the door she entered. When she got up, she noticed that the door closed, trapping Shepard in the room, but another door opened up. Additionally, her world had an orange tint to it, looking almost… virtual.

"So this VI must be after me specifically," said Miranda, readying her pistol. "Shepard should be alright, but it's looking like I'm on my own."

"STOP!" came the roar from the VI.

"It's become intelligible? This isn't good."

Geth began appearing to block her way, but Miranda shot her way through them all, running through the holographic shapes they exploded into, before coming to a room that showed two white holograms, turning the world green.

Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," voiced the first hologram

"There are no options left. How to get the geth's attention?" asked the second hologram, Gavin Archer.

There was a lot of geth-like stuttering, before the first announced "The robot says hello."

"Eureka! David, you're a miracle worker."

"Impressive," Miranda mused. "Even with my enhancements, I don't think I could pull that off. But if David could talk to the geth, does that mean he decided to go rogue as a VI?"

The world returned to its orange color, but two holographic spheres appeared in opposite sides of the room. Approaching one, Miranda saw the world turn green again.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2," muttered the newly-reappeared David hologram.

"David, can you repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" asked Gavin, having reappeared beside him.

"Square root of 918.09 is 30.3."

"David, please pay attention!"

"Loud! It's getting loud in here!"

"I'm sorry David, you didn't deserve that. Would you please repeat my notes from Thursday's experiment?" continued Gavin.

"Log 137.3. The experiment yielded no discernable patterns of geth obedience. End dictation now David. Hell, the Illusive Man will have my head for this."

"Thank you. And how you are feeling today?"

"Square root of 924.16 is 30.4… earplugs would be good."

"Wait, was Dr. Archer cracking under too much strain from the Illusive Man?" Miranda wondered. "If he was being pressed too hard… did he get careless? Something isn't right."

The world returned to the standard orange virtual color until Miranda touched the other green sphere. At that point, the green returned, as did the holograms, but this time with more people.

"David, I want you to order the geth to take a step forward," Gavin stated at the third set of holograms. As David began stuttering, the lone geth was walking in place.

"How does he do it?" asked a nearby assistant.

"David is a mathematical savant. His autistic mind can interpret the geth language in its most basic form, and mimic their phonetics. With his photographic memory, cross-referencing the meaning is a snap. He is literally a human computer."

"Human computer?" repeated Miranda. "Is this what I think it is?"

"And you think he can interface with the geth's neural network?" continued the scientist

"I see no harm in trying."

"Promising indeed," she noted. "But something still doesn't feel right. I need to get to the main chamber."

Once again, Miranda fought through the orange virtual world, shooting more geth, slamming them into the ground with biotic fields or overloading their circuitry. Finally, she reached the AI Core chamber, where the world turned green yet again.

"Square root of 906.01 is 30.1. Square root of 912.04 is 30.2" David fearfully muttered.

"We're ready. Open a connection to the geth network," Gavin instructed.

"So Archer did a blatant rush job after all!" Miranda declared

"QUIET!" David yelled, his voice sounding electrical, as the geth around them raised their weapons.

"David, NO! Tell the geth to stand down!"

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

"And now we have to deal with his incompetence!" Miranda yelled as the VI started an upload to the Normandy. She had to stop this

…

"QUIET PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" yelled the VI for a final time before collapsing in on itself and shutting down the virtual world. In the VI mechanism, Miranda saw… David, with so many electronics plunged directly into his skin, with two large cable clusters in his mouth, his eyes forcibly held open. Miranda blinked, and instead she saw her own sister, Oriana, suspended in the mechanism, her chance of a normal life ruined, now to carry scars of this nightmare with her forever.

"Wait, Operator Lawson!" a man yelled… their shared father! Miranda blinked again, but this time the man was Gavin Archer. "I'm begging you, don't do anything rash."

"You've already made plenty of rash decisions yourself!" she boomed.

"I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to him. It's not like I planned this. Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless."

"Without your planning of this, none of this disaster would have ever happened! This is all on your head!"

"I was desperate! You of all people know that the Illusive Man doesn't broker failure! Any war we fight with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to prevent that."

"And you'd use your own family just to further your own ends even to their detriment?!"

"Operator Lawson, you know that we need to use every resource we can to further humanity's growth, even if it is our own flesh and blood! Or have you forgotten that? If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy."

"And your brother? Will he be anything more than a tool to you?"

"A well-cared for tool. At least he'd still be alive."

"You call what you've done to him 'caring'?"

"Yes. The damage may not be permanent. He may recover some semblance of his mind."

"Bastard. You don't even know how to love your own brother!"

These words caused Gavin to look at his suspended brother. The speakers in the base activated, David's voice saying "Square root of 906.01 equals…"

"30.1," Gavin replied, turning back to Miranda. "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable. Please, let me take care of him. Please."

"Quiet, please make it stop," sounded the speakers.

"No." Miranda declared. "You've shown me you're too irresponsible and too uncaring to keep him happy. I'm taking him away."

"No, leave him! He's too valuable!" Gavin Archer drew a pistol and fired at Miranda, but she was too quick, using her own gun to shoot the pistol out of his hand.

"If you even think about going after your brother, my next shot will be at your head." Pew! Pew! Gavin Archer was now crumpled on the floor, blood spilling from his kneecaps. "That should serve as a good reminder that I mean what I say."

"Where… will you… take him?"

"You don't need to know."

Miranda then activated her communicator. "Shepard, I've disabled the rogue VI, but we have someone in dire need of medical attention."

"Roger that." Shepard replied.

"I wonder if Ori's going to like our new brother."

* * *

Next: Jacob


End file.
